Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and Sri Lanka’s head coach Chris Silverwood were not at all happy with the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) decision to have a reserve day for the India-Pakistan clash on September 10.
The ACC on Friday announced a reserve day for the most anticipated Pakistan vs India Super Four clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
If the match is not completed due to rain then the match will continue from the point it was suspended on September 11, the ACC confirmed.
However, this decision was not welcomed by everyone as no other team would have this privilege if their matches are called off due to rain.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all set to lock horns for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 but this time it will be in the Super Four stage in Colombo, on Saturday.
Hathurusingha in a post-match conference opened up on ACC’s decision and expressed his unhappiness.
“There is a technical committee (in Asia Cup) represented by every participating country – 6 nations. They might have decided it for some other reason,” he said.
“It is not ideal, and we also would have liked to have an extra day,” he added.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s head coach Silverwood too expressed his unhappiness in an indirect way.
“Yeah! Look, obviously, I was a little surprised when I heard it first. But we don’t organise the competition, so we can’t do a whole lot about it, right?” he said.
“To be honest, I see it only becoming a problem if it provides points to the teams, and affects us,” said Silverwood.
It must be noted that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka's last encounter ended in the latter's victory as they not only won the match but also outclassed their opponents by sending their entire batting side back to the pavilion for just 164 runs.
Likely Lineups
Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana.